2012-04-29

Summary: "There was a reason behind Edward's rebellious period – a reason that still holds true and brought him to Italy. His existence has been predicated on revenge for decades, to the point that forgiveness seems impossible. When Edward meets Bella, only a winter separates him from his last human prey and his own destruction." AU-Vampires.

Reviewers get a little gift (different for each chapter)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Enjoy this chapter's literary suggestion.

JACK. I am afraid I really don’t know. The fact is, Lady Bracknell, I said I had lost my parents. It would be nearer the truth to say that my parents seem to have lost me...I don’t actually know who I am by birth. I was...well, I was found.

Summary: How can you die when you've never really lived? That's the problem Bella
Swan faces when she's told she only has a year to live. Can she make up
for a lonely, unhappy life in the short time she has left... and maybe
find love too? All-human, EXB.

Don't miss it because...

I read this story a
long time ago. I remember reading how other authors were recommending
it. I love angst to a certain extent so the summary didn’t appeal
to me very much. I didn’t like the idea of Bella dying. After
seeing nothing but praises about the story, I decided to give it a
try. I’m so glad I did it!

Bella it’s 26 and
she lives in Forks, with Charlie. It’s just a normal day like any
other when she suddenly starts to feel an acute pain in her chest.
She makes a doctor’s appointment and the news are terrible. The
doctor tells her she suffers from something incurable and that she
barely has a year left. He tells her there are some treatments to
prolong her life a few months but Bella refuses to take them. She
also decides not to tell anybody about her condition.

The thing is, Bella
hasn’t been living. She has been existing but not actually living.
She has a very sad life. She has been ignored by her family all her
life. She doesn’t have dreams. She barely has any friends. She’s
lonely. After being diagnosed, she starts to make some changes in her
life, slowly at first, but steadily. And this is one of the reasons
why I love this story. Bella is told she’s going to die but she
decides to take the reins of her life and start living.

She encounters Alice
by chance one day. They went to high school together but they haven’t
stayed in touch. They catch up and Alice offers Bella to move in with
her until her wedding with Jasper and Bella accepts her offer. And
this is when Edward really enters Bella’s life. And I say ‘really’
because Bella knew about Edward before. Actually, the whole town of
Forks knew. He has been the object of a lot of gossip. He moved to
Forks but nobody really knows why or what does he do for a living.
The town has been spreading a lot of gossip about him. He lives alone
in a house near the lake that he bought from Alice. That’s how
Alice and Edward became friends. Bella had crossed paths with Edward
before (thanks to a chance encounter in the street one day) but they
had never spoken until Alice introduces them. They become very good
friends and they share a very special relationship. But a lot of
parts of Edward’s life are still a mystery. And don’t we all love
a mysterious Edward?

And at this moment
is when I’m going to stop talking about the plot in order to not
give anything more away because you need to read it. Chapter 10 is
one of the crucial chapters of the story. It totally threw me for a
loop. I was not expecting what happens at all. This is not your usual
Edward and Bella story. Don’t let that stop you from reading it
because I can assure you that it IS a love story (I wouldn’t be
reviewing it if that wasn’t the case, trust me) and an amazing one.
I love how Bella comes out of her shell and becomes a very strong
woman that is not afraid of going for what she wants. This story
reminds us that we have to live our lives to the fullest because
nobody knows what will happen tomorrow.

Rosybud’s writing
is engaging. She describes Bella’s feelings incredibly well. The
whole story is in Bella’s point of view so you are completely
immersed in what is going on in her head and in her struggle to cope
with the impending doom that lurks in the horizon.

There are some
stories that touch you and you can’t forget. This is one of them
for me. It became one of my favourite fics since the moment I read
it. So don’t let the summary dissuade you from reading this
beautiful story. You won’t regret it!

P.S. Once you have
read the story, don’t miss the one-shot in Edward’s point of
view! It will give you a glimpse of Edward’s thoughts and it will
help you to understand him a little bit better.

Thank you, Catti-brie!

If you read this fic, please don't forget to
tell the author that "My Reading Lounge sent you" and say "Ciao!"
from me! Thanks!

2012-04-22

Summary: "There was a reason behind Edward's rebellious period – a reason that still holds true and brought him to Italy. His existence has been predicated on revenge for decades, to the point that forgiveness seems impossible. When Edward meets Bella, only a winter separates him from his last human prey and his own destruction." AU-Vampires.

Reviewers get a little gift (different for each chapter)^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Summary: "There was a reason behind Edward's rebellious period – a reason that still holds true and brought him to Italy. His existence has been predicated on revenge for decades, to the point that forgiveness seems impossible. When Edward meets Bella, only a winter separates him from his last human prey and his own destruction." AU-Vampires.

"I'll tell you something I like."

Reviewers get a little gift (different for each chapter)^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Light like a wisp of smoke, the idea began to float in my mind."

This chapter's literary suggestion is represented by

Jacques Prévert's love poems.

"Our love endures
Obstinate as a mule
As alive as the desire
As cruel as the memory
As stupid as the regret
As tender as the memory
As cold as marble
As beautiful as the day
As delicate as an infant."

Summary: Edroar the Angry Lion frightens all the girls and boys at Cullen Publishing with his loud roar. Will his new massage therapist Bella Swan run away like all the rest, or can she tame this savage beast? AH/AU OOC.

1. Daniel
Pay attention to punctuation, especially to the correct use of commas and periods. These two punctuation marks regulate the flow of your thoughts, and they can make your text confusing even if the words are clear.

3. Bill Harper
Try not to edit while you’re creating your first draft. Creating and editing are two separate processes using different sides of the brain, and if you try doing both at once you’ll lose. Make a deal with your internal editor that it will get the chance to rip your piece to shreds; it will just need to wait some time.

A really nice trick is to switch off your monitor when you’re typing. You can’t edit what you can’t see.

4. Jacinta
In a sentence: write daily for 30 minutes minimum! It’s easy to notice the difference in a short time. Suddenly, ideas come to you and you think of other things to write. You experiment with styles and voices and words and the language becomes more familiar…

6. Pete Bollini
I sometimes write out 8 to 10 pages from the book of my favorite writer… in longhand. This helps me to get started and swing into the style I wish to write in.

I don't write out pages from my favorite books, but I do reread a chapter (or two) before starting a writing session. That leads us to the following tip:

7. Nilima Bhadbhade
Be a good reader first.

9. Kukusha
Learn to take criticism and seek it out at every opportunity. Don’t get upset even if you think the criticism is harsh, don’t be offended even if you think it’s wrong, and always thank those who take the time to offer it.

This is what reviews are for. I firmly believe in constructive criticism. Reviews aren't meant only for praise.

17. John Ireland
I set my writing aside and edit a day or two later with the aim of making it terse. It has trained me to be more conscious of brevity when writing for immediate distribution.

I've noticed it helps -- it's difficult for people who, like me, aren't very patient; but sometimes those two or three days of delay before editing can actually improve an entire chapter.

22. Julie Martinenza
Instead of adding tags (he said/she said) to every bit of dialogue, learn to identify the speaker by showing him/her in action. Example: “Pass that sweet-smelling turkey this way.” With knife in one hand and fork in the other, Sam looked eager to pounce.

This is a precious advice. I wish I could apply it more. Here's a trick to understand if a writer is applying this tip. Read the chapter and then try to answer the following questions: what else have you learnt about the characters beside their words? What are they doing? Can you describe their look?...

34. Pedro
Edit your older articles and pieces. You will notice that great part of it will be crap, and it will allow you to refine your style and avoid mistakes that you used to make.

I don't have the courage to look at my old, ancient old pieces :) Yet.

2012-04-01

Antonius and Bella would like to thank all the readers and everyone who voted for their story. I'd like to say "thank you" to the wonderful De Immortalitate staff: Camilla, LJ Summers, Duskwatcher, Marlena, and JMolly.

Story Summary: "The life of the Roman patrician Antonius is put at stake by his father, Felix. When Felix brings to his only son a new slave, Bella, more reasons arise for Antonius' concerns. Felix's secret can change Antonius' and Bella's destiny." ExB AU/vampires.